Kuwait's municipal chief Saud Al-Dabous joined his counterparts from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for talks on Sunday aiming to bolster efforts to achieve sustainable development within the six-member bloc. The "Gulf Municipal Works Conference" in the Saudi capital primarily focuses on existential challenges that could encumber municipal development and progress, state-run Saudi Press Agency cited the kingdom's Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majid Al-Hogail as saying amid the talks. On these challenges faced by Gulf Arab states, the Saudi minister pinpointed rising demand for "quality" municipal services and efforts to bring common aspirations to fruition as chief among them, which include the "proper and diverse" funding of key development projects, he underlined. The bloc-wide gathering was arranged for the purpose of finding "innovative and definitive" solutions to these challenges, while simultaneously looking into the most cutting-edge methods and technologies in a bid to further develop "municipal work," added the Saudi minister. The minister expected the talks to yield effective methods that would ensure more success in efforts to usher in "sustainable" development across the wider Gulf Arab region, which mainly entail the improvement of living standards, he said. The three-day gathering also features a slew of workshops and panel discussions that bring together municipal experts and specialists from across the Gulf Arab region. Source: Kuwait News Agency